well when I saw the thread I immediately thought linda carter, the runner up would be the do 335 which I always thought was seriously something else ( realizing now how this front/back theme also applied to the vw beattle auto- are all germans like this ?)

Overall, if we are really considering fighters that made it to squadron service, my vote would go to the bubble canopied Thunderbolts and specifically the P-47N. I love the look of the P-51D, the Spitfire and a bunch of others but for me these P-47s are sexy because they combine a sleek look with the brute power, altitude performance and toughness of that big air-cooled R-2800/turbo powerplant.

The paddle-bladed later models of the P-47 were a very different and more formidable beast than they earlier ones. The N model had a redesigned wing with integral fuel tanks which increased range and manoeuvrability as well. These later marks were superior to anything but jets at altitude but also had long range and were powerful and survivable ground attack aircraft that could lift a heavy load of stores.

And just for something different, the Gloster Meteor Mk 3. The Derwent engined versions of the Meteor with the lengthened nacelles were a vast improvement over the Meteor Mk 1 and it had far better reliability then the production Me 262, which suffered from poor quality control and appalling engine life and dependability.

That's Howard Pardue's F4U. Most of his planes have an HP code somewhere on them. He was a Korean War Marine F4U pilot. Back in the 80s when I met him, he owned a small oil company in Texas. He blew all his profits on his warbirds. Guy was a bit crazy, but he had a stable of nice aircraft.